Cupcakes for Two with Whipped Cream Frosting

Oh my goodness it's September! Where did August go? Seriously...band camp flew by, school started, and before I could catch my breath September arrived.

All colored from my run

This weekend has been a celebration weekend. I participated in my first 5K - the Color Me Rad 5K. I ran with some friends from college and had a blast! I'm definitely going to run this again next year. This weekend also marks Sonny's one year anniversary of home ownership and the two year anniversary of our first date. 

To celebrate, I decided to make cupcakes. Cupcakes are delicious, but we didn't want to have 10 cupcakes. Thanks to How Sweet It Is I didn't have to make a dozen cupcakes...I could make 2! Two vanilla cupcakes, but double the recipe to make 4 cupcakes so we could share two of our friends.

I have to admit, the cupcakes did not turn out very well. They looked and smelled good, but they tasted awful! In the process of measuring and mixing and preheating the oven....I forgot to double the vanilla. Oops! times 10!!!!!! The cupcakes tasted bitter and just plain awful! But the frosting....that's another story.

Cupcakes for Two!

I was a little leery when it came to frosting. I could have bought some from the store, but then there would be a ton of frosting leftover. So, I decided to try making whipped cream frosting. The results? Success! 

These cupcakes and frosting were very easy to make. The hardest part was whipping the frosting and waiting for it to thicken up. In the end, we ended up with some tasty cupcakes for our celebration.

Whipped Cream Frosting - enough for 2-4 cupcakes

- 1/2 c. heavy (or whipping) cream

- 1 Tbsp. sugar

- dash of vanilla extract (optional)

- food coloring (optional)

Combine cream and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk together until stiff. Add extract and food coloring has the mix begins to thicken. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recently my sister posted about making zucchini bread. YUM! Her post inspired me to make some zucchini bread. While waiting for the bread to bake my wheels got turning. "Would icing go great with zucchini bread? What about cream cheese frosting? I have some cream cheese that needs used soon." Then I decided on trying cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

I was a little nervous attempting frosting again. It didn't turn out so well when I tried raspberry cream cheese frosting....I struggle getting the right consistency. But this time everything turned out well and tasty!

I baked the zucchini bread in a 8x8 cake pan and took it into work with the icing on the side. (Which was silly because everyone tried the icing). Everyone enjoyed the frosting with the bread! Success!

The following recipe would frost one loaf of bread or 12 cupcakes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients

- 1/4 c. butter, melted
- 1/2 packaged cream cheese, softened (4 oz.)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla almond milk (you could use regular milk or condensed milk)

Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, pour the melted butter in. Add the cream cheese; beat with a electric mixer until well mixed.
- Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat ingredients until well blended.
- Add the milk; mix until a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Zucchini Bites

Zucchini is all over the farmer's market right now. I purchase some almost every week. That means zucchini in stir-fry, pasta dishes, and baked goods. I've also been getting new ideas from Pinterest - the ever addicting and wonderful website.

These zucchini bites are delicious and were a big hit! My parents and co-workers enjoyed the first batch. My mom liked them so much she bragged about them to her sisters. When we got together recently I made them and everyone LOVED them! My sister is eagerly waiting to try them...I'm sure her boys will love them too!

Using a music note cookie cutter to form zucchini bites

I definitely will be making these again and again. They are also very easy to make and work as a tasty little snack or even an appetizer at a party. These bites would also be a nice alternative to tater tots when grilling hamburgers or hot dogs for dinner. Thank you Pinterest for your unending cooking ideas!

Zucchini Bites 
Adapted (slightly) from The Curious Country Cook

1 c. zucchini, shredded and squeezed
1 egg
1/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs (I used garlic bread crumbs.)
1/3 c. onions, finely chopped
1/3 c. shredded cheese
Salt & Pepper  - to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400-F. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside. You can use a mini-muffin pan if you have one.
        *Make sure you squeeze out any excess water from the grated zucchini.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg. Then combine all the ingredients and mix well.

3. Scoop about 1 tsp. of mix onto the cookie sheet, forming a small circle. (You can use a cookie cutter like I did if you like). If you have a muffin pan, fill muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the outside is golden and set.

Baking Adventures with A

Last weekend I had a baking buddy! A asked to make chocolate chip cookies, but when in the kitchen an idea was born - cookie bowls. Then we could have cookie bowl sundaes with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. YUM! Let's just say our intentions were good, but the results were a lesson learned.

The original recipe (which I found from Pinterest) uses sugar cookies, but we went ahead made chocolate chip cookie bowls using the Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe...since chocolate chip cookies were the original plan.

Getting ready to cream the butter and sugar together.

 I had a blast baking with A. She was very excited about making cookies and cookie bowls. To be honest, A did most of the work...I basically just supervised and helped her when she needed it.

Handling the electric mixer like a pro!

Folding in the chocolate chips.

After everything was mixed up it was time to start creating our cookie bowls! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, spray the backside of a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray, and clear a good chunk of counter space.






Roll out dough on your well-floured counter space to about 1/4-inch thickness. Next you want to find something that will cut out a small circle to fit the surface area of the underside of one muffin spot....either a small circle cookie cutter or a shot glass works perfectly.

Then you'll use a knife or fingers and separate circle and place on the muffin tin.

When all the muffin spots have cookie dough on them pop them into the oven and bake for probably about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. We let them bake for about 12 minutes (following the chocolate chip recipe) and this is where we learned our lesson. Since we were using a mini-muffin pan and less dough, we didn't need them to bake as long. The end result.....slightly burnt and crisp mini cookie bowls.

But there were more goodies! With the leftover cookie dough A wanted to make some regular chocolate chip cookies to enjoy. She made BIG cookies, slightly under baked for soft, gooey middles.

We used a regular muffin tin to make regular sized cookie bowls. They turned out a lot better than the mini cookie bowls.

Next time we try to make cookie bowls I suggest we stick with a sugar cookie recipe. The chocolate chip cookie bowls were a good idea, but I think to master baking cookie bowls the chips just get in to way.

I had a blast baking with A. Even though things didn't turn out how we planned, we still enjoyed a delicious evening treat!

The GIANT chocolate chip cookies! They look so good! 

Getting the regular cookie bowls ready for the oven! A worked hard in the kitchen! 

Cookie Sundae! 

No Bake Chewy Granola Bars/Squares

Now that school is out I've been spending TOO much time on Pinterest. I stumbled across a recipe for No Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and thought, "These look delicious!" Well, they are! And they are VERY easy and quick to make. I may never buy pre-packed granola bars again...this recipe is that simple. It takes about 5 minutes of total work...prep to walking away and letting them cool on the counter.

First batch: left half - raisins...right half - chocolate chips

I've made two batches in three days. No, I haven't eaten them all, ...I've shared them. I took some to work with me yesterday and everyone who tried them loved them. A few people even asked for the recipe. I followed the recipe for the first batch (pictured above) with one change. I put chocolate chips only on one half and put raisins on top of the other half. A great suggestion by Sonny!

Second Bath: peanut butter with chocolate chunks

I added peanut butter into the mix for my second batch. The result: even more delicious! They remind me of the no-bake peanut butter cookies we use to make when I was younger. When I cut these "granola bars" up I ended up cutting them into squares, so I guess I made granola squares.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Squares

I'm serious about never buying pre-packed granola bars again. My brain thinking of other things I can add to the mix to create different granola bars!

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars...well squares

adapted from Lauren's Latest


Ingredients 
- 1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/4 c. honey
- 1/4 c. peanut butter, creamy
- 1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
- 2 c. quick oats
- 1 c. Rice Krispies cereal
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- chocolate chips
- other toppings (almonds, etc.)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and rice cereal.

2. In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Heat and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, make sure the sugar is dissolved. Pour in vanilla and stir. Remove from heat.

3. Combine the saucepan mixture atop the dry mixture in the bowl. Mix well, making sure everything gets coated. Place mix onto one side of greased baking sheet and press firmly, flattening and packing the granola bars. Sprinkle chocolate chips (or other toppings) on top and press them on top gently.

4. Allow granola bars to cool on the countertop until set (about 2 hours). Cut into bars or squares. Store at room temperature in a container. Separate layers using parchment (or wax) paper.

*UPDATE 7/30/12* An 8x8-inch cake pan works very well instead of a baking sheet. You can cut your granola bars into 25 squares, cover with foil (or plastic wrap), and keep on your kitchen counter until gone.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Chicken Salad

It's back! Panera's Strawberry Poppyseed and Chicken Salad! I could eat at Panera everyday, but there isn't a Panera in my town. As much as that saddens me, it's probably a good thing for my wallet. So I'll settle for the next best thing; I'll make my own version of the salad. I substituted the poppyseed dressing and used a raspberry vinaigrette. I also left off the pecans this time around...I didn't have any in the pantry.

Salad minus dressing and chicken. Looks good! 

To make this salad you need the following:

- romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
- strawberries, sliced
- blueberries
- mandarin oranges
- pineapple, sliced
- pecans (if desired)
- cooked chicken breast, sliced into strips
- raspberry vinaigrette

Toss the lettuce, fruit, pecans, and chicken in a bowl. Drizzle desired amount of dressing on top of the tossed salad.

Looking good! 

Whether it's Panera's salad or my version of this salad, I truly enjoy this salad! It's great on a summer day, having lunch with friends outside on the deck and enjoying some fresh lemonade. I have a feeling I'll be making this salad a lot this summer....it's so good!

Raspberry Vinaigrette Chicken Salad - yum!

Yogurt Covered Blueberries

Pinterest has been filling my head with ideas. Before Pinterest I flipped through various cooking and knitting books/magazines hoping to find an idea I liked. Since discovering (and becoming hooked) I can access some really cool (and simple) ideas and put them into practice that day. This idea blossomed from another post I stumbled upon. 

I know blueberries are not quite in season yet, but this idea has been simmering in my head for awhile. Plus blueberries pints were 3/$5 at Kroger.

These make a delicious snack! I can place some in my lunch in the morning and by time I get to lunch they have thawed enough where the yogurt isn't runny and the blueberry isn't frozen in the middle. They are quick, easy, and delicious! 

You will need the following:

- baking sheet

- parchment paper

- fresh blueberries

- vanilla yogurt 

Here's what you need to do:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment (or wax) paper.

2. In a small bowl, place the yogurt and mix in blueberries.

3. Scoop out blueberries; make sure the yogurt covered the entire berry.

4. Place berries on the baking sheet. Put in the freezer and allow the yogurt to freeze completely. After frozen, removed the yogurt-covered blueberries in a container or freezer bag and store in the freezer.

5. ENJOY! 

Baby Blanket and Wine Cover

My needles have been knitting away over the past few months...trying to get ahead start on Christmas gifts. I needed a break from knitting the same pattern over and over, so I tried two new patterns. The end results: a baby blanket and a wine cover.

Pattern: "Orange You Glad"

Baby Blanket

My nephews all have blankets that I knitted, but the pattern was simple. I knitted back and forth and there was A LOT of guess work. Also my thinking, "This looks good".

Awhile back I picked up a book by Lorranie F. Hickey called Terrific Textures for Baby: 5 Lively Afghans to Knit. I had every intention of knitting one of these patterns for my youngest nephew, but that didn't happen. However, I did manage to knit him a blanket using my guess and check method. Finally I got around to knitting a pattern.

There was only one reason I started knitting this blanket - to use up the pound of yarn I bought last fall when it was super cheap. It was taking up space in my stash. There's was no baby I had in mind to receive this blanket. I simply just started knitting. Once started, I fell in love with the pattern and the color of yarn I used, Lion Brand - Pound of Love: Turquoise. I decided to keep this blanket and store it for my future kids. The pattern was easy to follow, so if I need to knit one for a family member or close friend I should be able to knit one in no time. I look forward to trying another pattern from this book.



Wine Cover


Wine is a nice gift to give to friends when invited over for dinner or when celebrating various life events: engagements, births, new job, new house, etc.

I found this free pattern during on of my trips to Jo-Ann Fabrics. At the time I had no intentions on knitting a wine cover. I just wanted to store the pattern for a rainy day pattern. Well my "rainy day" happened when celebrating a friends engagement. You can find the pattern online here. There are two patterns you can choose from...I followed the grey bottle cover.

The pattern was very simple and easy to follow. It doesn't take too long either, and you can use your left over sock yarn. I think I made it in a day or two...between work and work. I'm thinking about knitting a few more and saving them for when I want to give one away last minute.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Since Sonny introduced me to hummus, I have become addicted! It's delicious with a number of things: pita bread, pita chips, raw veggies, spread it on a deli sandwich. I even had it on a cheeseburger once instead of mayo...it wasn't too bad. Awhile back Kroger had hummus on super sale for $1.25/container! Normally hummus runs about $4/container, so I stocked up. Hummus is delicious, healthy and taste so good! Sadly my hummus supply is now empty, and I can't bring myself to buying it at full price.

Sonny and I finally tried making hummus. Most of the ingredients were already on hand. We only needed to purchase tahini, garbanzo beans, and roasted red peppers. Tahini was harder to find than I thought...AND expensive. When it goes on sale at my local Kroger it doesn't stay on the shelf long, but it hasn't been on sale for awhile. We were able to find some (finally) at Meijer though. To our surprise tahini keeps for awhile in the pantry...HOORAY! In this particular recipe we (mostly me) put in extra garlic. It's a good thing we like garlic because you sure can taste it. No vampires are going to attack us tonight! I suggest using 2 cloves of garlic if you don't like/want an overpowering taste of garlic.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - adapted from www.ourbestbites.com

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. roasted red peppers

1/3 c. tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbps. extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add the olive oil and continue to process until desired consistency is reached. Chill for an hour before serving. Serve with pita or veggies.

Delicious Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Veggie Southwestern Egg Rolls (Baked)

I am always looking for new recipes to try. Thanks to Pinterest, my list of recipes to try keeps growing and growing. These egg rolls have black beans, corn, spinach, green chiles, cheese and spices wrapped up inside. I love the fact these are baked and not fried. I enjoy egg rolls, but I don't enjoy the grease that usually comes along with them. You can easily make these meal worthy if you serve them with Spanish rice and refried beans. Chips and salsa would also be a nice addition. These egg rolls were delicious, although next time I might leave out the spinach. I was not a huge fan of the spinach in the mix. For variety, I might add some cooked shredded chicken.

Southwestern Egg Rolls - from Annie's Eats

2 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
6  green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers (my package made 19 egg rolls)





Combine everything together except the egg roll wrappers, and mix well. Place an egg roll wrap on a flat surface with a flat edge facing you. (I wrapped my egg rolls differently than most people....this is probably why I struggled wrapping them! Usually a corner point towards you.) Place 1/4 c. filling in the middle of wrapper. Fold the edge closest to you over the mix, roll slightly, and fold the side edges towards the center. Continue to roll the wrapper until a small part of the edge is still free. Dip a finger in water and brush it onto the free edge, finish rolling and create a seam.

Heat the oven to 425 F. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place egg rolls seam side down on the baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking.

Easter Centerpiece and Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Easter! I have very fond childhood memories of Easter. Waking up and going down stairs Easter morning felt a lot like Christmas morning....with a few differences. Instead of a Christmas tree and stockings, there were Easter baskets and plastic eggs "hidden" through out the house and backyard. Before we went to church, my siblings and I would dash through the house picking up as many eggs as we could find and claim our prizes, change or candy waited inside. It has been a long time since I participated in an Easter egg hunt. Now it's my nephews' turn to explore my parents' backyard in search for grandpa's spare change. I love seeing their faces light up with excitement when they find an egg. They shake it, to hear the change jingle inside, before they place it in their basket. Then they zoom off to find another egg. I don't want to forget to mention coloring eggs. I LOVED coloring eggs as a kid. I didn't care too much for hard boiled eggs back then, but I had a ball dying them. My favorite part of coloring eggs was getting to dip one egg into all of the colors to see how it ugly it would turn out. 

This Easter I tried tapping into my creative side. I saw a few pictures of centerpieces made out of peeps, jellybeans and flowers. They looked great and easy to do, so I gave it a try.

Not too bad for a VERY last minute idea. Looks pretty good and it took no time. Seriously, this was an after thought as I was leaving the store. Here's what you will need: flowers, jellybeans, peeps, vase, and glass bowl.


1. Arrange the flowers in the vase and set inside the glass bowl.

2. Place the jellybeans around the vase on the bottom of the glass bowl, evenly. Place the peeps on top of the jellybeans.

Along with Easter, my family also celebrated my brother's birthday at our get together. MMM birthday cake...chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting! My mom made the cake and I made the icing (with help from my sister). The frosting turned out surprisingly well compared to my last tango with making homemade frosting. The cake was delicious and a big hit! I hope everyone had a great Easter holiday spent with family and friends.

Ingredients


8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions


In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then add the butter and beat until well blended. Add the powered sugar and salt...beat into the mix, scraping down the sides. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until mix is smooth.

*You may need to add more powdered sugar to get frosting to desired consistency.

Cupcakes, Cookies, and Almond Milk

I have been busy in the kitchen making delicious treats. I have been head-over-heels for the Raspberry Lemonade cupcake from Cardinal Cupcakes since the first bite, and I've wanted to make similar cupcakes. I also wanted to try substituting almond milk for regular milk in baked goods. I did some digging and found that almond milk is a healthier choice. But would it make food taste different? I've been eating cereal with vanilla almond milk (thanks to Sonny), but I never tried it when I cook/bake. I used the original almond milk, not the vanilla flavored almond milk, and found no difference. Now if there is no "regular milk" on hand at Sonny's I don't have to run out to the store...as long as there is almond milk on hand.

My baking adventure started with Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes. I found the recipe I used here. I couldn't wait to make these cupcakes and share them. The cupcakes turned out beautiful. They looked great and smelt wonderful. The frosting was another story. I ended up with A LOT of "extra" frosting. My frosting making skills needs work and I needed to add a TON more powdered sugar. It was thin and runny...I think I needed to pack the powdered sugar instead leaving it loosely packed. I kept adding more powdered sugar and kept beating the icing, but I just couldn't get the icing to fluff. I iced the cupcakes anyway, added a fresh raspberry on top, and took them to Sonny's office. Despite the icing, they were a hit!

The next day I made some chocolate cupcakes, in attempt to use up the rest of the frosting. I did try and thick up the frosting some more by adding even more powdered sugar. Even though I didn't get the frosting to fluff, I did get it to thicken up! I'll count that as a win. But I still had a TON of icing leftover! What do I do now? Make sugar cookies! Raspberry iced sugar cookies!

All three raspberry iced desserts were delicious! Try making the raspberry lemonade cupcakes...they are great! I look forward to trying the icing recipe again in hopes of getting it to be fluffy and not be thin/runny.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. milk (almond milk)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, soda, cocoa, and salt...set aside for later.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and well mixed. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat into the meat. Slowly add the flour mix and milk, beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. For mini-cupcakes, bake at the same temperature for half the time (7 to 8 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Stuffed Peppers

Growing up, I never remember my mother making stuffed peppers. I don't remember trying them at a friend's house or with another family member. So it's safe to say I was never exposed to stuffed peppers until I got to college...and I had two not so-great experiences.

My first meeting with stuffed peppers was not pleasant, of course nothing in a college dining hall is really pleasant. They didn't look appealing at all. The pepper was hallowed out and everything stuffed inside. I had no idea what was in there. Fast forward a few years...I'm still in college only I'm not at the campus dining hall and I have no other option for dinner (except to not eat). So I gave them a try...and was not a fan. I don't remember what I didn't like about them...just that I didn't like them.

Now here I am, four years later, making them myself. My taste have changed and I find myself trying more and more new/different foods. (And liking them!) The idea came from a pinterest post and a recipe from one of my cookbooks. I combined two recipes together to make this delicious recipe! I'm very pleased how these peppers turned out AND how low-cal and filling they are. I only ate half a pepper and a full pepper is around 325 calories. I served the peppers with chips and salsa....some refried beans would be good too! Even though my first encounter with stuffed peppers turned my nose, I now enjoy them!

Ingredients

4 large bell peppers (I used green, but you can use whatever kind of sweet bell pepper you prefer.)

1 lb. ground turkey (or beef)

1/2 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, divided 

3/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 c. cooked rice (I used brown rice.)

1 c. frozen corn

1 small tomato, diced

1/3 c. fat-free sour cream

3/4 c. Mexican shredded cheese

1 c. warm water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove all the seeds. Set aside for later use. 

In a skillet, brown the ground turkey (or beef). Drain any fat when meat is cooked. Add onion, garlic, 3/4 tsp. cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper to the meat and saute until onions become soft and clear.

Add the rice, corn, tomato, sour cream, and shredded cheese to the meat mix. Mix ingredients well and stuff into peppers. In a separate container, mix the warm water and remaining 3/4 tsp. cumin together. Pour this into a casserole dish large enough to fit all peppers inside. Place the stuffed peppers in the dish and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.